


Phantom of Falsehood

by TehAvengeh



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Doctor AU, Gang AU, M/M, Sorry Not Sorry, dream a little, its like a medical drama so theres like some unrealistic medical-ness, limited knowledge on the inner workings of the mafia and Yakuza
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-28 21:18:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11426370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TehAvengeh/pseuds/TehAvengeh
Summary: If there was one thing Yuuri was good at, it was missing opportunities. Not because they slipped by before he had the chance to take it, but because he denied they even existed.If there was one thing Viktor was a good at, it was making decisions on a whim. He was always jumping at the latest opportunity. Consequences be damned.And to think, despite their differences, they found each other.





	Phantom of Falsehood

If Yuuri had to choose, the most gratifying moment of his job was when he finished a successful surgery and informed the patient’s family that they were in the clear. The reactions all swelled up from the same place but spilled out in various ways. Some people would dissolve into tears, thank yous spilling from their lips as they clutched their other loved ones close. Others were more collected, shooting rapid fire questions, still wound up tight like a doll before finally sagging in relief, their gears slowing down as the tension wound down. Then there were the ones who had relieved laughter bursting from their lips, pulling apart the seams of their previously taught lips as the brightest smile one could imagine blinded Yuuri more than any surgery lights ever could. They all would say a final thank you and in that moment Yuuri would feel more love than he had in his entire life.

The worst part of the job was when things ended poorly. No matter how many times he had done it, and thankfully not many, it was still an almost unbearable pain that Yuuri felt as he informed the waiting family of his failure. It only served to make him feel worse when he reminded himself that what he felt paled in comparison to what the awaiting family felt. Some were angry, demanding to know what Yuuri had done wrong. Others were resigned, already knowing before the surgery ended that this was what was going to happen, the pain etched so deeply onto their face Yuuri was sure they could feel it in their bones. Then there were the ones whose hope came stuttering down, the fire that had been dancing in their eyes – flickering weaker and weaker until it was extinguished. “Thank you” some would say and it was always the bitterest pill to swallow.

Today had, fortunately, not been one of those days. He’d had several surgeries scheduled today all ending successfully. It was, of course, the norm. Routine surgeries, though not as glorious and rampant with tension, were still gratifying, even if he felt exhaustion draped over his shoulders as he collapsed in the offices. He had several neglected charts stacked on his desk from where he’d been unable to find the time to sit down and go through them – a stray emergency surgery cutting into his paperwork time. The wall clock read a quarter past nine and as much as he would have liked to eat right now it was better to get the work in today and just eat when he got home. Occasionally fellow surgeons slipped into the room and Yuuri engaged in mild pleasantries as they packed up to go home or worked on their own charts – their routines etched into their movements despite their constantly changing schedules.

A few hours later, with one final stretch, Yuuri finally dragged himself from his seat as a yawn wiggled its way through his lips despite his efforts to muffle it. His body had that familiar ache he had grown used to from sitting for too long - he preferred being on his feet - and he made his way towards the locker room, doctor’s coat thrown over his arm as he loosened his tie.

The calendar on his locker door had a cheery reminder of the Nishigori triplets birthday tomorrow and Yuuri smiled fondly to himself - they were growing up so quickly. It felt like not too long ago when he himself was young. Back then he had had a massive crush on the twins’ mother, his childhood friend Yuuko. Thinking back on it he wasn’t sure how much of it was a crush because of how nice and pretty Yuuko was or if it was a crush of convenience - simply because she was there. Admittedly, Yuuri had a lot of crushes growing up but his one for Yuuko had been the one that stretched the longest. When he was off at medical school was when she and Takeshi had started dating - when the duo announced it one day over a long deserved dinner together he hadn’t even been upset. A revelation that had genuinely shocked him. It seemed that even crushes had expiration dates and somewhere along the way the crush had just slipped away from him. They were perfect for each other - or as perfect as imperfect humans could be - and a short few years later he found himself as both of theirs best man. Yuuri couldn’t have been happier for them.

After the ceremony though… it had been the day Yuuri realized how unaware he was of his surrounding. He, admittedly, had a bit of tunnel vision when it came to certain things and it was easy for him to get caught up in his one current obsession. When they were kids he was pudgy and short and Yuuko was tall and pretty and he was in love. But he was also certain that he was nothing more than a friend - maybe a cute younger brother type at best. So you could imagine his surprise when, before the wedding ceremony, Takeshi clapped him on the shoulder and thanked him for everything and most importantly apologized. “She just had the biggest crush on you y’know? Yuuri this and Yuuri that and I was so sure I didn’t have a chance - not against you and I was too childish for my own good. So thank you, seriously, for sticking with the two of us - even with my bullying. And sorry, for all of the things I said out of jealousy."

It was like having the carpet ripped right out from under him, and were it not for Takeshi’s hand - warm and heavy on his shoulder - Yuuri wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t have tripped over himself at the confession. Surely this was a joke - one last teasing comment for old time’s sake. But Takeshi’s face said otherwise, eyes swarming with a fond warmth as he looked back on old days.

Honestly, on that day he couldn’t even picture himself standing where Takeshi was, tears in his eyes as Yuuko giggled through their “I do's". They looked so in love and it was probably the happiest he had ever seen them and that happiness had been contagious - he couldn’t imagine it any other way. It wasn't until long after the festivities drew to a close did the burning warmth fizzle into a subdued one. With the childhood picture of the three of them staring at him from his desk, Yuuri realized how much he’d held himself back. His crush on Yuuko? It wasn’t a big deal - a romantic relationship wasn’t what he wanted with her - he knew that now. But how many times had he convinced himself that there was nothing there? It was on the night of his two childhood friend’s wedding that Yuuri realized all the missed opportunities he had lamented never came to pass was because he’d never allowed them to. It wasn’t that the timing was never right. He’d simply just watched all the opportunities pass him by.

With a deep, shuddering sigh Yuuri closed his locker and tossed his bag over his shoulder. He was simultaneously starving and exhausted and he wasn't sure he was up for cooking something so he resigned himself to stopping at the 24 hour convenience store in between the hospital and his flat.

It had been on the warmer side when he had arrived to work this morning but now an unwelcome chill had settled into the air and Yuuri shrugged his doctor's coat on to try to get a semblance of warmth. The walk to the convenience was blessedly short and despite his exhaustion Yuuri took his time browsing the bento boxes lined up in the back of the store to savor the warmth that the store offered. He settled on two different meals, one for tonight and one for tomorrow morning since he would be busy with last minute preparations before the triplets birthday party.

On a typical night Yuuri would take the scenic route through the park but opted to take a shorter route cut between two alleys - a sketchy route he normally avoided. It was as he made his way through one alley, traipsing through the narrow path that he heard a soft whimper that distinctly sounded canine and the animal lover in his heart immediately focused on the dark shadow cowering in the cross section of the ally. It was a medium sized brown dog and Yuuri fumbled for his cell phone in his pocket so he could use the flashlight to get a better look. The pup was an untrimmed poodle, it's messy curls resting a little in its eyes. No glint of tags reflected from the light.

“Come here sweetie,” he cooed, and the dog spared him a glance, its entire frame trembling from fear or the cold Yuuri wasn’t sure. The dog whined in response, a pathetic sound that reverberated from the back of it’s throat and Yuuri took a tentative step forward, slowly extending his hand out so the dog could sniff him without entering its personal space. It’s tail thumped once it deemed him safe and that was all the warning Yuuri got before he was being tackled to the cold dirty ground. Yuuri yelped, hands finding purchase in the grimy fur, his heart thundering in his ears - for the briefest seconds his chest seized up in fear before his face was slathered in kisses, the dog's tail wagging as it did so. It was in this minuscule moment that Yuuri decided he wanted to tag this dog home with him. He felt around it’s neck for a collar just in case he missed seeing one as he pushed it off him. He was simultaneously overjoyed and disheartened to find nothing. He clambered to his feet, the cold air seeping into him as his adrenaline ran down and shivered as he grabbed his bag he had dropped when the dog pounced him.

“Alright sweetie, do you want to go home with me?” the dog yipped in response, comforted by Yuuri’s sweet tone but when he tried to lure it down the alley it dropped on it haunches and resolutely refused to remove -  though whimpered when Yuuri walked too far away.

“What is it sweetie?” he cooed, patting its head, but the dog simply stared down the alley, close to where it had been resting before. A dilapidated cardboard box and some rumpled blankets steeped in darkness rested nearby.

“Oh,” Yuuri thought aloud, “Do you have puppies over there?”

He hesitantly took a step in the boxes direction, making sure he didn’t over step the dogs comfort bounds, but the dog simply ran over, tail wagging as she did so. Yuuri resolutely followed, smiling at the dog and offering her another pat as she settled next to the box. The large mound of blankets rose and fell ever so slightly and so Yuuri slowly reached for the blanket to move it, expecting to find a large cluster of puppies.

Instead he found a man, curled up and hand pressed to his stomach. Yuuri’s initial reaction was that he stumbled across a homeless man’s dog, but as Yuuri fumbled with the flashlight on his phone he noted first the form fitting suit - he didn’t know much about designer clothes but the fabric and cut screamed money. The second thing he noticed was the dark red color blossoming from where the man’s hand rested on his side, drenching the snow white fabric of his dress shirt.

“Are you alright?” Yuuri yelped, dropping to his knees while one of his hands went to put pressure on the other man’s hand. A man who was now stirring awake if the blue eyes staring up at him through wet bangs was anything to go by.

“I’m a doctor,” Yuuri soothed when the man went to smack his hand away, “I can help. I’m going to call an ambulance right now.”

“No, don’t,” the man responded in stilted japanese, rolling over onto his back with a shuddering breath and a grunt.

“It will be okay,” Yuuri tried again, switching to English, “I’m going to call for help.” He turned to his phone again.

The man simply shook his head, grabbing Yuuri’s hand that held his phone as Yuuri tried to navigate out of his flashlight app and to his dial screen with one hand, “You’re a doctor right?” the man asked, his English heavy with what Yuuri presumed to be a russian accent.

Yuuri bobbed his head in response, as he stared down at the stubborn man - the dog from earlier whimpering beside them and nuzzling his nose into the injured man’s leg.

“This is a gunshot wound. If you call the ambulance they are going to call the cops and I can’t have that.”

The words were stated so pragmatically and Yuuri found himself trembling a bit at the cold look in the man’s eyes - not a trace of fear reflected in them.

“If you really are a doctor, can’t you just help me?” the man continued, and smiled a smile so fake Yuuri didn’t have to be used to them to be able to recognize it.

“I-I can’t,” Yuuri said, the words tasting like bile on his tongue.

The man shuddered, dropping his hand from Yuuri’s wrist and Yuuri’s heart ached as the dog whimpered again, burying her muzzle into the man’s side with the motion.

“Okay,” was all the man said, eyes falling closed for a moment before opening them to look at Yuuri again, “You’ll let me borrow your phone then won’t you?”

Yuuri nodded dumbly, before handing his phone to the man, his other hand still pressed to the wound on the stranger’s side.

After some slow dialing, the man was bringing the phone to his ear, speaking in rapid fire russian after a brief moment. Yuuri sat, frozen in the alleyway as he waited for the conversation finish.

“Thanks,” the man said after a moment, tossing his phone to Yuuri who nearly dropped it in his attempt to catch it.

“Uhm…” Yuuri said, “I…”

“You can go now,” the man said, his smile a little less fake, “I have someone coming to get me. It’s better if you leave now.”

“Oh…” Yuuri said, at a lost for words, “Okay. Keep- Keep pressure on this okay,” Yuuri said, squeezing the man’s ever so slightly, before letting go.

“Got it,” he said and Yuuri shakily got to his feet, one hand stuffing his phone in his pocket while wiping the other - the blood stained one - on his pants.

Yuuri turned his attention to the dog now, “Is this- is she yours?”

The man shook his head, “Nope,” he said, patting the dog as he said so.

“Do you want to come home with me sweetie?” Yuuri cooed, smiling as the dog’s tail flicked in excitement but frowning when she didn’t move from her spot nestled against the man. Yuuri frowned - hesitating before grabbing his bag and slowly walking away from the duo - every step heavier than the last. It physically pained him to leave them there but what could he do? He wasn’t stupid, he had put two and two together to tell this man had gang ties - he could get in trouble if he called the ambulance. He didn’t know what the man was capable of. He was making the right choice - he had to be. But was he? He wasn’t really making a choice at all was he?

‘I’m running away,’ Yuuri thought, slowing to a stop at the alley’s entrance - having walked back the way he came. ‘I’m not helping. I’m looking the other way’. Right now, in this moment a choice was slipping by as he looked the other way. He never made any choices - always looking the other way pretending he didn’t have options. He was letting a moment slip by once more. And honestly? Yuuri was tired of it - of not stepping up - of only seeing the easier path.

‘I won’t run away,’ Yuuri thought, ‘Not this time,’ Before breaking into a run.

* * *

Viktor was not an idiot - he did some thoughtless things in life sure - always making choices in a split second. He never knew where they would take him - simply doing first and dealing with the consequences after the fact. So when the boss’s son asked him to meet him in neutral territory he didn't think anything of it. It was after all, neutral grounds and he prided himself on upholding the rules of the gang, and he was sure the other man felt the same way. They weren’t friends but they got along just fine. Meeting like this, in the middle of an alley wasn’t the norm, that’s for sure, but for Viktor a man of many whims he didn’t think anything of it and went along with it gladly. This choice, one he had made so simply, so easily - like breathing - would make itself known as a mistake in an instant.

There had been no explanation, a simple “Sorry about this friend,” and then a shot was ringing through the alley, and Viktor’s eyes that had wandered off to a stray dog he noticed cowering in the dark, snapped back to Feltsman Jr. and Viktor found himself falling to the ground, more so in shock then from the impact. Viktor could hear the dog scurrying off in fright, it’s yelp mirroring the gunshot.

‘Shit,’ Viktor thought, cursing himself for coming unarmed. But even if he had? He wasn’t the type of man to turn a gun on his own.

Feltsman seemed to be feeling more regret in this moment then Viktor was though, as he quickly shook his head and with violently shaking hands stuffed his gun into the waistband of his pants, “Fuck,” he said, “FUCK!”

‘This wasn’t planned,’ Viktor thought to himself, it couldn’t have been. They were in an alley, but still close enough to the road. Though if someone had heard the gunshot, Viktor knew no one would come looking.

Suddenly Feltsman’s hands were on his lapels, pulling him up from his slumped position, hands scrambling through his pockets, before he was pulling his phone and wallet from him.

“What?” Viktor croaked, before biting back the words. What could he ask?

Feltsman quickly stumbled back - he was the boss’s son but Viktor wasn’t sure if the man had ever killed anyone before - he was high enough rank that he had hundreds to do it for him.

“Sorry,” Feltsman said, “I’m sorry for this,” and then he was gone.

The next few moments, were a blur, and Viktor could recall them like flipping through photos - some instances painted in his mind with a stark clarity, and others gone, leaving him to wonder how he got from picture A to picture B.

With as much energy as he could muster, Viktor had pulled himself halfway into a trashed cardboard box, his side burning as he did so. As he lie there, hand pressed to the bleeding wound he resigned himself to death. He wasn’t sure he could pull himself out of this alleyway and even if he did he’d probably be found by a stranger and taken to the hospital. And when the gunshot wound was identified cops would be alerted and that wasn’t a situation he wanted to find himself in. He pulled a grimy, threadbare blanket over himself and wondered how long it would be before Christophe or Yuri, anyone really, noticed he was gone. Without his realizing it, the dog from earlier had come back, settling itself near him and Viktor thought maybe things wouldn’t be so bad.

He wasn’t aware he had fallen asleep until a soft voice lulled through his ears. He stiffened for the briefest of moments, wondering if Feltsman had come back to finish the job, before forcing himself to relax. The stranger’s voice was soothing and Viktor thought he could fall back into a fitful sleep if it weren't for the blanket suddenly being pulled off of him.

Viktor wasn’t sure what he had been expecting to see but it hadn’t been an angel bathed in white light. ‘No,’ Viktor thought, ‘Not an angel’. Just a flashlight, and a white coat. He thought he might have been saved for the briefest of moments but when the stranger said he would call an ambulance Viktor resigned himself once more. No ambulance. He drew the line there.

The man stayed a lot longer than Viktor had thought he would, especially after he surely realized the kind of person Viktor was. A kind stranger and man’s best friend in his final moments - not too shabby really.

The ringing in his ears had subsided some, and brought with it the clarity that he could call for help. Take it from Yuri to yell at him and cuss him out when Viktor told him he was dying in an alleyway. The younger man only growing angrier when Viktor told him to send Christophe and not come himself.

The next snapshot was the stranger trying to coax Viktor’s new best friend to go with him and Viktor was touched and thankful when the dog chose to stay - she was warm.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before there were fast footsteps echoing down the alley and Viktor groaned in relief, “Took you long enough,” he slurred, “I almost died here." But instead of Christophe’s sensual gaze or Yuri’s wild one, warm brown greeted him instead - white coat flapping as the man from before dropped to his knees beside him once more.

“Oh? You came back for me Ангел мой?”

“Oh good,” the man breathed, entire body physically sagging with relief, “You’re still with me. Hold this.” the man shoved his phone into Viktor’s hand, flashlight already blaring, “I need the light. Hold the light.”

Viktor watched as the man pulled things from his bag - a steel case filled with needles, alcohol, the biggest pair of tweezers Viktor had ever seen in his life, gauze, and plenty of other medical mumbo jumbo Viktor didn’t have the presence of mind to identify.

Warm hands made quick work with the buttons of his shirt and Viktor chuckled despite himself, “Eager to undress me?” he asked. There was no response and Viktor frowned as the man continued to diligently unbutton his shirt - when had he put on gloves?

Nimble hands were feeling him now, fingers digging into his skin and Viktor was suddenly aware he was being asked questions. He wasn’t sure why but he felt compelled to speak, “The bullet didn’t go all the way through. I’ve been shot before. Mediocre shot he was”

None of this was new to him, they had their own private doctor and Viktor felt the strongest compulsion to comfort this stranger, talk him through it. But the man’s eyes and hands were steady as he worked, efficiently and methodically - hands sure and confident as he removed the bullet. Viktor fell silent and the man took it as his turn to talk, offering soothing though hesitant words of comfort. Viktor was sure he was used to working on unconscious patients. There was an open package and an empty syringe next to him and Viktor wondered when the doctor had used it, suddenly aware the sharp, burning pain from before had dulled.

When the man was finished, he sat back, breathing a sigh of relief and Viktor found himself smiling, “Thanks Doc, you should get out of here though. My guys will be here soon.”

The man’s earlier confidence seemed to disperse at his words and Viktor watched as he clumsily gathered his things, taking his phone back from him as well - VIktor has almost forgotten he had been holding it.

The man hesitated - he always seemed to be hesitating Viktor thought, before he was pulling his Doctor’s coat off and placing it gingerly on Viktor. He watched as he turned his attention to Viktor’s new best friend, “Keep him warm,” and then he was gone.

The coat still held the other man’s warmth and Viktor buried his nose in the fabric, appreciating the gentle scent - a welcome change to the damp, rotten air the alley offered.

When Chris and Yuri finally showed up Viktor offered them a warm greeting. It was funny - just an hour or so ago he had resigned himself death, but now all the could think about was the angel that had turned Viktor’s view on the world upside down.

**Author's Note:**

> Google told me that Ангел мой means my angel. But google has let me down before.


End file.
